Psychologist Abraham Maslow has written, "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write--if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be." The question for many would-be creators is simply how to get to "must."
Maslow saw human beings' needs arranged like a ladder. The most basic needs, at the bottom, were physical--air, water, food, etc. Then came safety needs--security, stability, comfort. Then psychological or social needs--belonging, love, acceptance. At the top were the self-actualizing needs--the need to fulfill oneself, to become all that one is capable of becoming. Maslow felt that unfulfilled needs lower on the ladder inhibited a person from climbing to the next step. For example, someone dying of thirst is not likely to write or paint. People who managed the higher needs are what he called self-actualizing people. These folks, he found, are able to focus on problems outside themselves, have a clear sense of what is true and what is phony, and are spontaneous, creative, and not bound too strictly by social conventions."
Rick Wrote:
Reading the comments on Maslow and his theory I noticed that most comments refer to doing as the criteria to call yourself an artist. I’d like to state that there is an opposite equally important element. That is NOT doing. This, to me is as important as DOING. I once felt as others that if I were not painting every day, I was not an artist. For many years I did this with mixed results. The results of this “doggedness” helped me create a good work ethic that is still with me today. The other result was periods of frustration and misery forcing inferior work. After many years and with gained wisdom I realized that there has to be times of rejuvenation. Times to let the mind and body relax. Times to step away from the process to regenerate the system. I used to force myself into the studio even though mentally I wasn’t ready or willing to paint. I did this for years believing the theory that “to be is to do.” I was wrong. At least for me this is. I’ve spoken about the yin and yang of life but didn’t apply this to my emotional well-being. Now I realize that there needs to be “down time” from the doing to think about what to do. Or do nothing at all. This is as valuable as doing. This is the reason I left the commercial art field. Pressure to produce at will. If I’m not working on a piece I don’t stress myself out worrying that I’m not painting today. I’ve come to realize that art cannot be forced. Instead of trying to paint, read an art book or any book unrelated to art. Go to a show or museum. Have coffee or tea with friends (artists or not). Creativity is a blessing that needs nurturing and may mean stepping away for a period to take stock. One need not strap themselves to their easels to call themselves artists. One need only to produce when the need reaches that point where you know the juices are flowing. It’s being in touch and comfortable with your self and listening and trusting your inner voices.

Last night I went to my regular Thursday night painting workshop to paint from the live model with my artist friends. When I got there late, the others had set the model and had already begun. I saw the model was nude and reclining. As a rule, nude or reclining is never a problem. The problem was I was not in the mind set to paint a nude or one reclining. I usually bring several sized canvas never knowing what I'll need. This night, due to rushing to get there, I brought one canvas and an inappropriate sized canvas for reclining figure. My choice was either go home or try and use my creativity and come up with a solution. My initial enthusiasm about painting had diminished by the situation I now found myself. But I was determined to not let these factors deter me from painting. All the "good" spots were filled by others except one spot way on the side. If I chose this angle I would be faced with a strong forshortening problem to figure out. Also the light was coming from the same direction with limited shadows on the form. I happen to like to paint with strong light and dark areas. Faced with no other options, I placed myself there and started to think of how I could make the best of a bad situation (in my mind at least). The interesting thing that took place was I had to start to think about what to do and how to create something interesting. If I had arrived there early and had the right canvas size, I would have placed myself in front and ended possibly with a mediocre painting. As a result of having to leave my "comfort zone" I created what turned out to be a very interesting painting. One good enough to exhibit. Since all these factors forced me into an unfamiliar place, I also had nothing to lose. I chose to play with color. I didn't settle on normal flesh tones that might have developed had I had a better placement. I keyed all my colors away from reds and went into more greens and yellows for flesh tones. The results were better than I could have hoped. I forgot one important danger in painting. Routine. I had fallen into a routine and my work was showing lackluster results. I had fallen into a rut of doing the same thing again and again. The lesson for me is don't always take the same road. If it feels good, maybe you should make it a little uncomfortable, be a little off balance. I had a wonderful painting teacher who once told me if you're feeling dull and stuck in your painting, get into a deliberate mess and try and work yourself out of it. Use the wrong color, put too much paint down too soon, change brush size, change mediums. The mind is forced to rethink everything that is usually done and the creative process, along with your training, will pull you through as it did for me last night at my regular painting session with my friends.